"Hello:FRIEND" by Fairlight

Hello:FRIEND
Fairlight
score:8/10 (GEM)

I guess by now we all know what to expect of a 'typical' Hollowman demo: lots of dialogue, talking heads, strange graphics, (vector) animations, the odd hardcore effect and, as final ingredient, the theme.

This time it's all about "isolation": the main character caused an accident and as a result his friends have dropped him like a hot potato. After a while though it becomes clear that there's more to it: appearantly he did something else, something that's maybe even worse than causing another human being having to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

It may be clear by now that this is not really your average c64 demo. Instead Hollowman tells a story and manages to get the viewer (well, at least me) guessing about what really happened to the protagonist. This is quite a feat, and a serious step up from making people break their heads over how a certain effect was coded.

Hollowman is at his best when he injects personal elements into his demos, like he did with "Manhood" and "Pretending to see the light". But there's another side to him as well, that of the (technical) coder and graphician. In the past I've wondered if his demos wouldn't profit from 'better' graphics but I guess I have gotten used to his style, as I quite like them here. Even though they're a bit unclear from time to time they fit the demo perfectly, with the final picture as an excellent example. Coding wise it's as if he's no longer trying to prove himself, which is a good thing as in the past his urge to do so got in the way of the final result.

A great piece of work, showing once again that Hollowman is a true artist. I'm already looking forward to his next release.